Title: Will the Lord Hear Your Prayer?
Contents
1. Words that begin
There is nothing in life more important than knowing yourself. However, not many people know who they are and what they can form in the future. Few people know what their potential is, what they can do, and what their future success will be. Most people live under the illusion of overestimating or underestimating themselves in relation to this critical issue.
George Whitefield, a former church leader in England, said: “I cannot explain the creation of the universe. Nevertheless, the universe exists. I can't explain how the truth, thrown like lightning bolts upon the hearts of Oxford college students, changed their entire lives. But explain it or not, isn't George Whitefield here? I cannot explain the work of change that God's Spirit causes in humans, but there are many people who have been born again through that work.”
2. Those who have eternal life
Among the members of the early church, there were some who could not break free from their image and lifestyle when they were still idolatrous pagans. Also, there were those who were very burdened with the fact that they had to live according to their reason, emotions, and will only to achieve their desires, and then live according to the Holy Spirit and obey the Word for the glory of God and human love. Because of tribulation and persecution, some regretted becoming Christians or even gave up their faith.
That's why the Apostle John said, "I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life."
If we know the preciousness of eternal life and the eternal value that we have gained through believing in and serving Christ the Son of God, we will not change anything for anything, and we will not give up on any persecution or tribulation. Even if you give the whole world, even if you give your only life, you will try to protect the eternal life you will enjoy forever. Believers sometimes forget the great grace that God has given to them within them. There are even a few church members who are unaware of the amazing grace God has given them. Calvin said, “Faith must grow day by day. That is why John is saying that he wrote to those who already believed that he had written them to believe more firmly and surely, and thus to have the assurance of eternal life.”
3. A prayer to receive anything
The value of eternal life is not only in enjoying eternal life in heaven, but also in real life. Those of us who have eternal life have something in common with God without hesitation, which is that whatever we pray according to God's will, we get it because He hears us. For those of true faith who pray according to God's will, please believe that the answers to prayers are not in the future, but in the present.
Beloved, how are you praying? How do you discern God's will and pray?
Basically, in order to pray according to God's will, we must put more importance on God's glory than our own interests.
Praying that the world will influence you to become a great politician or businessman, or an educator or an artist, to glorify God does not mean you are praying according to God's will. According to the talents and talents God has already given us, we must pray in a way that is worthy of God's will that each of us wants to accomplish.
When you are prosperous, you should pray according to the will of God who made it prosper. Then, you will know that the answer to practice love is far away. When you are destroyed, you must pray according to the will of God in your suffering. Then you will know that the hand of God's power to help in trouble is already at work. You will come to know the love of God who does not want any life to end in ruin, and brings you back to life.
Most of the church members pray for some amazing results with the good intentions of glorifying God and being more loyal. Of course, I am convinced that such a prayer is a prayer according to God's will, but in reality, most of God's will is in the process of achieving results. Therefore, the process of refinement and training necessary to achieve that amazing result will follow as an answer.
Great perseverance is achieved by repeating small perseverance, and great power is acquired by accumulating small perseverance.
People often compare it to David's victory over Goliath when he defeated an opponent he could not possibly win. However, do you know how many battles that risked life and death were won before the victory of David, the boy who saved the country by actually killing Goliath?
When King Saul said to David, “You are a boy, and Goliath has been a mighty man since he was young,” David said in 1 Samuel 17:36-37. “Because your servant has also struck lions and bears, is this uncircumcised Philistine who has insulted the armies of the living God? He will be like one of his beasts. He will rescue them from the hand of the Philistines.” Saul said to David, “Go, the Lord be with you.”
Everyone, please believe that all victories, including David's great victory that killed Goliath and saved the country, are God's work of answering David's prayer.
In John 15:7, Jesus said, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
Please believe that the most important thing in answering prayers is that the content of our lives and prayers is in accordance with the will of God revealed in Christ.
For those of true faith who pray according to God's will, the answers to prayers are present, not future. In that sense, Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours to you” (Mark 11:24). The important thing for those who pray is not to pray with content that you can believe you will receive, but pray with content you can believe you have received.
4. Prayers for sinning brothers
If we must believe that we have received answers while praying according to God's will, what is the most decisive will of God? In a word, the decisive will of God contained in the Word is the will of love to save mankind who are being led down the path of destruction as slaves to sin. It is Jesus Christ who became incarnate, acted, and redeemed according to the will of God the Father, that is, the will of love.
That's why the Apostle John said, "If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, let him ask, and he will give him life for those who do not lead to death. that is recommended. In other words, if we pray to God for a brother who commits a sin that does not lead to destruction, God will either stop his transgression or give him eternal life after he has repented of his transgression.
Even if you are a trembling enemy, can you pray for that soul?
Anyone who has committed any sin can receive forgiveness of sins and receive eternal life by believing in the Lord Jesus of the Atonement. In that sense, the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ, cannot be forgiven forever (Matthew 12:31, Mark 3:29).
5. Conclusion
We are all children of God who enjoy eternal life by believing in the Lord Jesus. Therefore, we must know the amazing fact that we have the privilege of enjoying eternal life in heaven and receiving anything in this world that we ask for according to God's will.
If you know this for sure, you can be content in any circumstance, and you can learn all the secrets of abundance and poverty.
We earnestly pray that all of us will accomplish the great cause of evangelism, the decisive will of God, through the amazing power of prayer.
(Poongseong Methodist Church. Book: Complete Commentary on 27 New Testament Books/ Interpretation of Difficult Scriptures I, II/ Salvation Before Jesus Came/Paul’s Understanding of Man/ Prosperity Prayer/ Seasonal Sermonbooks/ Sermonbook 18. -3051)